John Cena comes face to face with his Royal Rumble opponent AJ Styles on an episode of WWE Smackdown. (Photo : YouTube/WWE)
The first SmackDown Live of 2017 was a very good show, unlike Monday Night Raw. There were some surprises on this week's show including the heel turn of Dolph Ziggler and Dean Ambrose winning the Intercontinental championship.
First, here are the full results of the January 3 episode of WWE SmackDown, per WWE.com.
- Baron Corbin defeated Dolph Ziggler in the first match of the night. It was a good, entertaining and fun match between two rivals. Corbin got the win by hitting the End of Days on Ziggler.
- Becky Lynch defeated La Luchadora via submission. Becky used The Disarmher to get the win and unmasked La Luchadora, who turned out to be Alexa Bliss. The real La Luchadora arrived and helped Bliss attack Becky.
- Carmella got a win against NXT star Aliyah. James Ellsworth was at ringside as he distracted Aliyah to help Carmella, who locked in the Code of Silence for the submission victory.
- American Alpha made quick work of Breezango. After the win, The Wyatt Family appeared on the titantron and warned Chad Gable and Jason Jordan.
- Dean Ambrose beats The Miz to become the Intercontinental champion. Ambrose overcame Maryse's involvement in beating The Miz. He hit the Dirty Deeds to win the title and end SmackDown with a celebration.
Besides the matches, there are a lot of great moments from this week's episode. Here are the five biggest moments from the January 3 edition of SmackDown Live.
Maryse slaps Dean Ambrose
The Miz and Maryse opened SmackDown Live and they demanded an apology from Renee Young. They mocked Young which brought Ambrose out. Maryse ended up slapping Ambrose as the "It Couple" leaves the ring.
Ambrose gets on the mic and said Maryse hits harder than The Miz. "The Lunatic Fringe" is definitely entertaining in a role like this. He's better off without a championship.
Dolph Ziggler turns heel!
Corbin tried to attack Ziggler after their match with a steel chair. Kalisto comes down for the save but he ate a Super Kick from Ziggler. Good heel turn by "The Showoff" as he stormed off looking pissed and yelled that he does not need anyone's help.
Ziggler also had a confrontation with Apollo Crews in the locker. He attacked Crews with a headbutt as the other guys break them apart.
A.J. Styles burns John Cena
What a great promo from Styles during their contract signing as he called out Cena for losing his passion for wrestling. He continued by saying Cena will never be as good as The Rock in Hollywood or as good as Styles inside the ring. BUUURNNNN!
But overall, it was a pretty good exchange from Cena and Styles. The fans are invested on their feud already which is a great sign. SmackDown Live continues its dominance over Monday Night Raw once again.
Baron Corbin declares for the Royal Rumble
Corbin interrupted the contract signing between Cena and Styles. He declared himself an entrant in the Royal Rumble. He also said that he will the Rumble and win the WWE championship at WrestleMania 33.
Dean Ambrose wins Intercontinental Title
Despite the involvement of Maryse, Ambrose was able to beat The Miz and win his second Intercontinental championship. He was able to kick out after the Skull Crushing Finale and a title shot. He hit the Dirty Deeds to get the victory and end SmackDown Live with a big celebration.
Check out the video below for the contract signing between A.J. Styles and John Cena. For more WWE news, rumors and updates, follow me on Twitter @johnnyrundown.
